Freedom Group

The Freedom group is the most colorful and relaxed faction in the Zone. Technically and atmospherically, they represent the complete opposite of the rigid Duty group.

Features of the grouping

• Ideology of freedom: They don't have a rigid army hierarchy. Everything is built on equality, anarchism, and the authority of the leader (Lukash). The main motto: "Protect the Zone from those who want to destroy it, and from those who want to hide it!"

• A love of "illegal" things: The Svoboda members are not averse to relaxation. Characters with a peculiar sense of humor constantly roam their base, and jokes about joints and weed can be heard at the bar. This gives them the image of "stalker hippies," but with heavy machine guns.
• International: Unlike Duty, which is made up of Slavic ex-military personnel, Freedom accepts anyone, including foreigners, which is why they prefer Western (NATO) weapons.

Type of base (Army warehouses)

Their base looks like a lived-in but dilapidated military base. The atmosphere here is much more homey and chaotic than the austere Rostok plant at Dolg.
• Buildings are covered with graffiti (for example, the group’s emblem – a wolf).
• There are rusty skeletons of armored personnel carriers and trucks everywhere, which no one removes.
• The center of the base is Lukash’s two-story headquarters, and nearby is a barracks with a local cook and an arms depot, which is guarded by a charismatic anarchist nicknamed the Miser.
• There are sniper towers along the perimeter of the base, as the base is located on the front line - right next to the Barrier, beyond which the Monolith territory begins.

Type and manner of communication

• Communication style: Extremely friendly, familiar, and informal. They address each other as “dude,” “brother,” and “buddy.” They do not recognize salutes, titles, or subordination.

• Loners: Earn money on artifacts, survive, find the legendary Klondike of artifacts or solve the mystery of the Zone.
• “Duty”: Completely destroy the Zone and close it off from the world, as they see it as a threat to all of humanity.
• "Freedom": Preserve the Zone and make it open to the whole world, study its anomalies as a common good.
• “Monolith”: Protect the center of the Zone and the “Wish-Fulfiller” from the infidels (in fact, protect the O-Consciousness scientists).
• Bandits: Easy money, robberies, control over shadow spheres and stalker routes for personal enrichment.
• Military: Isolate the Zone, do not allow civilians inside, destroy illegals and remove valuable property for the benefit of the state.
• Scientists: Conduct safe research, understand the nature of anomalies, and create medical/technical technologies for humanity.
• Mercenaries: Strict execution of contracts from customers on the “mainland” (murders, extraction of secret documents) solely for the sake of money

• Singles:
• Enemies: Bandits, Military, Monolith, Mercenaries (often).
• Friends/Neutrals: "Duty", "Freedom", Scientists.

• "Duty":
• Enemies: "Freedom" (main war), Bandits, "Monolith".
• Friends/Neutrals: Loners, Scientists, Military (unspoken neutrality).

• Bandits:
• Enemies: Loners, Duty, Freedom, Military.
• Friends/Neutrals: Mercenaries (sometimes cooperate).

• Military:
• Enemies: Loners, Bandits, Freedom, Monolith.
• Friends/Neutrals: Scientists (protect them), Duty (don't touch each other).

• Freedom":
• Enemies: “Duty” (main war), Military, “Monolith”, Bandits (in the TC they fight, contrary to stereotypes).
• Friends/Neutrals: Loners, Scientists, Mercenaries (in TC they maintain a fragile neutrality on AC).

• "Monolith":
• Enemies: Absolutely everything (automatic fire at any living object).

• Mercenaries:
• Enemies: Loners, Duty, Military.
• Friends/Neutrals: “Freedom” (neutral according to the plot of the TC), Bandits.

• Scientists:
• Friends/Neutrals: Everyone except the Monolith and Bandits. Stalkers and the military protect them.

• Basics: Professional soldiers of fortune, a syndicate without ideology. They operate covertly, carrying out contracts for assassinations, document theft, or espionage. They brutally eliminate any witnesses to their operations.
• Base: Wild Territory. They maintain constant control of the train station near Bar. There is no full-fledged headquarters in the TC; they operate from mobile camps.
• Equipment: Blue-gray mercenary suits with good armor. Armed exclusively with Western weapons: TRs-301, SGI-5k, often with optical sights and silencers.
• Danger Level/Strength: High. They have excellent marksmanship skills and work in a coordinated manner.

• Basis: A government-funded scientific expedition. Absolutely neutral toward all but obvious aggressors. Engaged in taking measurements, studying anomalies, and developing defenses.
• Base: Mobile bunker on Yantar. Hermetically sealed, secure laboratory guarded by hired stalkers or military personnel. Head: Professor Sakharov.
• Equipment: They have virtually no combat weapons (only pistols for self-defense). They wear unique orange and green SSP-99 "Ecologist" research suits with ideal protection from radiation and anomalies, but weak bullet resistance.
• Threat Level/Strength: Very low (defenseless without external protection).

The basis: Regular troops of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. They guard the Perimeter from civilians and stalkers. For them, any stalker in the Zone is a criminal subject to elimination.
• Bases:
• Southern Checkpoint (Cordon) – controls entry into the Zone.
• Research Institute “Agroprom” is a large base with a research center.
• Equipment: Army standard. Conscripts wear regular uniforms and body armor, special forces wear Beryl-5M armored suits and heavy Skat-9M. Weapons: Fort-12, AKM-74/2, AS Val, and machine guns (at checkpoints). They are supported by armored personnel carriers and MI-24 helicopters.
• Danger Level/Strength: High (especially special forces).

• The core: Criminals, thugs, and marauders who came to the Zone for easy money. They prey on loners, collect "tribute" from them, and engage in racketeering.
• Base: Abandoned factory in the Dark Valley. A fortified building under the command of Borov, where prisoners are kept and loot is stored.
• Equipment: Poor to average. Black leather coats and jackets with hoods that do not protect against radiation. Armed with sawed-off shotguns, Viper-5 submachine guns, and, less commonly, old AKM-74/2U assault rifles.
• Threat Level / Strength: Low / Medium. They use numbers and sneaky ambush attacks.

• Foundation: A paramilitary religious sect, zombified by the "O-Consciousness." They consider the Zone sacred and worship a mysterious Crystal. They refuse contact, fanatically attacking any outsider without fear of death.
• Bases: Control the entire north of the Zone: Brain Scorcher (Radar), Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself. The main headquarters is in the Energetik Cultural Center in Pripyat.
• Equipment: The most advanced in the zone. White and gray suits and heavy exoskeletons. Armed with high-precision rifles (GP37, FT-200M), SVD sniper rifles, and unique Gauss cannons.
• Danger Level / Strength: Extreme. Due to their lack of fear and superior weapons, they are the most formidable force in the Zone.

The core: Anarchists, rebels, and freedom seekers. They consider the Zone to be the common heritage of humanity and a zone free from state control. They fight for its preservation and exploration. They are at odds with the "Duty."
• Base: Army warehouses. They took over a former military base, fortifying the perimeter from mutants and barriers on the way to the Radar. Leader - Lukasz.
• Equipment: They prefer NATO weapons (TRs-301, SGI-5k, SVU and SVD sniper rifles). They are equipped with light green suits "Wind of Freedom", "Guardian of Freedom" and their own lightweight exoskeletons.
• Threat Level/Strength: High. Strong in long-range tactics and sniper ambushes.

• Foundation: A paramilitary clan with strict discipline and regulations. They protect the world from the Zone by destroying mutants and burning anomalous manifestations. They are at odds with "Freedom."
• Base: Rostok Plant. The area has been converted into a fortified military camp with checkpoints, patrols, and a headquarters headed by General Voronin.
• Equipment: They use mainly domestic weapons (AKM-74/2, Obokan, Grom-S14, RP-74 machine guns). They are dressed in black and red armored suits: PSZ-9d "Armor of Duty" and heavy modified exoskeletons.
• Threat Level/Strength: High. Well organized and prepared for assault operations.

• Core: Independent adventurers, profiteers, or fugitives. There's no clear structure, only a thirst for profit from artifacts and mutual assistance around the campfire unite them.
• Bases:
• Beginners’ camp (Cordon) – starting point, wooden cellars.
• Bar “10 X-ray” (Rostock) – the main crossroads of the Zone, a safe neutral zone.
• Equipment: Extremely varied. From simple jackets and PM/sawed-off shotguns (for beginners) to Zarya overalls, IL86/TRs-301 assault rifles (for experienced ones) and heavy exoskeletons with FT-200M rifles (for veterans and masters).
• Danger Level/Strength: From low to very high (depending on the rank of the specific stalker).

The Zone emerged in 2006 after the second, super-powerful explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The true cause was secret experiments by scientists from the Osoznanie group. They attempted to tap into the Noosphere (Earth's information field) to remove negativity from humanity, but the experiment got out of control, and an anomalous Zone formed on the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Life and Artifacts

• Life in the Zone: It is a constant struggle for survival. Deadly anomalies (gravitational, thermal, chemical) operate here and mutants (blind dogs, bloodsuckers, snorks) live here.
• Artifacts: These are mysterious formations that are born in anomalies. They have unique properties (for example, they heal wounds, protect from radiation, but can also cause harm). Stalkers go into the Zone to collect and sell them.

Groups and their bases

• Loners (Stalkers)
• Essence: Freelance researchers, artifact hunters. Each one is on their own, but they help each other.
• Bases: Newbie camp at Cordon, bar “10 X-ray” at the Rostok Plant.

• Duty"
• Essence: A paramilitary group of former military personnel. They consider the Zone a plague on the planet and seek to destroy it.
• Base: Rostok Plant (area around the bar).

• Freedom"
• Essence: Anarchists and ideological fighters. They consider the Zone to be a common property and a unique opportunity for science, and strive to preserve it.
• Base: Army warehouses.

• Bandits
• Essence: Criminals and marauders. They rob stalkers and engage in extortion.
• Base: Dark Valley (abandoned factory)

• Military
• Essence: The regular army of Ukraine. They guard the perimeter of the Zone, shoot illegal stalkers, and conduct raids.
• Bases: Checkpoint at the Cordon, Research Institute “Agroprom”.

• Scientists (Ecologists)
• Essence: Official researchers of the Zone under military protection. Studying its nature for science.
• Base: Mobile laboratory in Yantar.

• "Monolith"
• Essence: Fanatical cultists. They worship the "Wish-Fulfiller" (Monolith) and do not allow anyone to reach the center of the Zone, killing everyone in their path. In reality, their consciousness has been zombified by scientists from O-Consciousness.
And mercenaries